A virtuosically surgical multimedia work for amplified string quartet and multi-channel video by Paul Pinto performed by Bergamot Quartet and The Rhythm Method.
Commissioned by The Rhythm Method and Bergamot String Quartets, String Quartet No. 3 OCTET continues Paul Pinto’s playful exploration of video and theatrical chamber music. Just shy of an hour, the performance begins with a close-up on a tablescape of string instruments “operated” by four methodical musicians, their eight dexterous hands, and hundreds of pencils. Alternating through moments of Foreman-like precision and virtuosic irreverence, OCTET is a subtle and one-of-a-kind marriage of sonic slowness and visual anticipation.
Pinto’s String Quartet No. 4: I PASS’D A CHURCH has become a cornerstone of The Rhythm Method’s repertoire, and was released on New Focus Recordings in 2024.
OCTET
Composed and directed by Paul Pinto
Zach Herchen, video and sound engineer
Performed by:
Bergamot Quartet (Friday at 7pm & 9pm)
Ledah Finck, violin
Sarah Thomas, violin
Martine Kinsella Thomas, viola
Irène Han, cello
The Rhythm Method (Saturday at 7pm & 9pm)
Leah Asher, violin
Marina Kifferstein, violin
Carrie Frey, viola
Meaghan Burke, cello
Run time: 50 minutes
